Twelve Questions Worth Asking Before You Sign
The questions that separate contractors, and what the answers tell you. Includes what a written scope should contain and the warning signs worth walking away from.
Most homeowners get about three quotes, and they usually land closer together than expected. When the numbers are similar, the decision comes down to which company you trust to actually do what it said. These questions are how you find that out.
Before the estimate
1. What is your license number? You want it without hesitation. Then look it up yourself at cslb.ca.gov and confirm status, classification, bond, and the disciplinary record.
2. Who will actually run my project day to day? The person selling the job is often not the person managing it. Ask who your point of contact will be once work starts and how to reach them.
3. Is the crew your employees or subcontractors? Either is fine. What matters is that the general contractor takes responsibility for the subs' work, and that you know who is accountable when something needs fixing.
4. Have you done this specific type of project recently, near here? Permitting varies by jurisdiction. A contractor who works in your city regularly knows what that department expects.
About the money
5. Can I have a written line-item scope rather than a single number? This is the most useful question on the list. A line-item scope lets you compare quotes meaningfully and shows you where assumptions differ. A one-number bid hides everything.
6. What are the allowances, and what happens when I exceed them? Allowances are placeholder budgets for things not yet selected. Unrealistically low allowances are how a bid gets to look competitive and then climbs during the project.
7. What is the payment schedule? California limits what a contractor can take as a down payment on a home improvement contract. Payments should track completed work. Be cautious of any request for a large sum up front.
8. How are change orders handled? You want them in writing, priced, and approved before the work happens. Verbal change orders are the single most common source of billing disputes.
About the work
9. Who pulls the permits? The contractor should. A contractor asking you to pull an owner-builder permit for work they are performing is shifting liability onto you, and it is worth understanding exactly why before agreeing.
10. What is the schedule, and what could change it? A contractor who has done this before can tell you where the risk is: lead times, inspections, what might turn up behind a wall.
11. How will you keep me informed? Ask specifically. Homeowners consistently describe not knowing whether anyone is showing up tomorrow as the worst part of a remodel, and it is entirely preventable.
12. What is your warranty, and what does it exclude? Get it in writing. Ask what happens if something fails a year later and who you call.
What a written proposal should contain
- Scope of work in detail, including what is explicitly not included
- Line-item pricing rather than a lump sum
- Allowances stated per item
- A payment schedule tied to milestones
- A start date and an estimated completion date
- Change order process
- Warranty terms
- License number, and proof of insurance
Warning signs
- Reluctance to give a license number, or pressure not to verify it
- A large cash deposit requested up front
- A bid substantially below every other bid, with no explanation of why
- Pressure to decide today, or an offer that expires immediately
- No written contract, or a contract that is one page of generalities
- Asking you to pull the permit for work they are doing
- No physical address you can verify
One more thing
Ask for references and actually call them. Ask those people what went wrong, not whether they were happy. Every real construction project has something go wrong. What you want to learn is how the contractor handled it, because that is the part that will matter to you.
A contractor who claims nothing has ever gone wrong on any project is either new or not being straight with you.